In today’s busy and demanding world, we all need a place where we can let go of the challenges that life presents us on a daily basis. One of the most common ways to escape is music. Ever wonder why at least 50 percent of the people in the hallways have headphones or earbuds? People are smart, and they figure things out.

Even just listening to music can help relieve stress and allow us to concentrate better, a reason why so many people listen to it at school and work. But to take the most advantage of music, you should pick up an instrument and learn to play it, no matter what age you may be. I play two. Now that I think about it, my piano and violin have helped me in more ways that I could even imagine. After some research, I realized that the facts sounded a lot like me and other people I know who play instruments as well. The differences are easy to spot. How many of these reasons could you really use right now?

1. Music relieves stress and anxiety!

This may seem obvious, but it’s scientifically true. Whenever I have a lot of stuff on my mind and don’t know where to begin with it, I turn to my piano or violin and play my feelings out on them. This has always calmed me down, and I found that the quality of my work with and without practicing music is very different.

2. Music improves your concentration and coordination.

I will say outright from my own experience that music is one of the most frustrating things I have come across in my life so far. I have to practice for at least 30 minutes every day with my instruments, and even then, I tend to get frustrated quite easily. My parents always told me that they started me with the piano because it enables you to work all the parts of your brain at the same time. You need to physically remember the positions of the notes and mentally count out rhythms and listen for intonation while also adding the topping effects to a piece, such as dynamics. It sounds like a lot, and it is a lot. But this effective mental workout gives you the capacity to increase your skills in every other area like sports, school and of course, other music related activities, including dance and singing.

Research shows that because of the immense concentration and judgment musicians must possess, playing an instrument can raise your IQ by up to seven points!

3. It strengthens your respiratory system.

Took you by surprise? To all the non-musicians out there, no, music is not something you do by just sitting in a chair and moving your fingers or your arms or in some cases, your feet. In order to successfully play music, you must relax your body and breathe deeply to release your energy into the music. My former violin teacher was always getting on me for being too stiff, and this caused my music to sound choppy. Tying back to No.1, stress in the body is stress in the mind. If you release the tension from your body, you will start to release the tension from your mind as well.

This is not just involved with wind instruments. Any instrument requires you to breathe and phrase your notes so all the energy in your body can be transferred into your instrument. As for the medical reason, because our everyday lives consist of only shallow breathing, music can serve as an exercise to keep your lungs in shape, directly giving you a greater lung capacity that could potentially help with stamina in sports.

4. It helps develop your social relations.

Humans are social creatures. We need to have interaction with others. Music facilitates this behavior, uniting countless people all over the world. It is arguably the world’s most universalized "language." Whether it’s a concert, a gig or even just a street performance, music attracts people because a musician impacts their lives as well by letting them escape from their own life for a little while. Whenever I play solo in front of a crowd or attend one of my orchestra concerts, it always comes as a small thrill to know that all the people gathered were there to listen to my playing, my music. Afterwards, people would always come up to me and congratulate me. I gained so much confidence after I picked up an instrument, and this confidence helps me get through just about any social situation.

Through an instrument, you can meet others who play as well. The positivity that is generated from music rests in all good musicians, resulting in you being in a positive environment and ultimately making you a happier person.

For young people, the world of music may be full of competition to be the best and discourage them to pick up an instrument at all. My answer to them? Do it for the benefits that music will bring you, and for the love of it, not out of competition. If you truly love music, you have already won.

The best part? Music, even playing music, is one of the rare things that can last you an entire lifetime.